


VR Edition

by rainbowuwu



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:55:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27933460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowuwu/pseuds/rainbowuwu
Summary: George is sent the new Minecraft virtual reality game along with the latest improvement in VR technology. The VR device transports you into the world itself and George discovers you can feel /everything/. Feelings start to come up between George and Dream as they experience this new and exciting world together.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Dream/GeorgeNotFound
Comments: 52
Kudos: 260





	1. The Gift

**Author's Note:**

> This work is based on the 'Striking Vipers' episode of Black Mirror. The old title is from The 1975 'Me & You Together Song' if you want to listen to it.  
> This is a work of fiction! Please don't harass creators about shipping <3.

George awoke feeling groggy and still weary. He sat and watched the ceiling for a few minutes, alone in his queen-sized bed. He could feel the chilling early morning breeze seeping in from behind his curtains and shivered slightly. December had come so quickly like it does every year. He reached over his head for his phone sitting on the bedside table: 7:45 am. He audibly groaned and went to go throw his phone on his bed and catch a few more hours of sweet sleep when he looked at his notifications.

Dream  
_You have a present coming today :)._

George smiled and sat up in his bed. He opened discord and typed back. _A present? My birthday was last month_. George did not expect a reply for at least a few hours, it was like 2 am in Florida after all, but there was the message ‘ _Dream is typing_ …’

 _It’s an early Christmas present. I couldn’t wait to play with you_.

George’s heart felt rather warm considering the 6-degree breeze was now hitting his exposed legs. Dream had bought him a present…and he wanted to play with George so badly he had sent the present 24 days early. Dream really thinks of him outside of them just playing Minecraft. He didn’t feel so lonely in his bed anymore.

George racked his brain for what ‘play’ could mean. It’ll be some game for sure, but he just couldn’t think of any new games Dream would be so desperate to play with George that he sent it by post as a present. George typed out his response.

 _First of all, go to bed. Second of all,_ ‘ _play_ ’?

Dream was quick to respond once again. George could imagine him, lying alone in his own bed, wrapped under the covers, eyes half-lidded and bloodshot from all the screens he looked at that day.

 _You’ll see ;). Says it should be arriving around noon. I’m going to bed now_.

George huffed. _Sure you are. Goodnight_. George has never known Dream to fall asleep any time before 3 am. Although he’s never really on his phone at this time, he’s always caught up in some game on his computer. George wonders whether Dream had stayed awake just for George’s reply. He liked thinking that someone thought about him at random hours of the night. Especially Dream. It made the pangs of loneliness easier to bare.

He shook the thought out of his head, he wasn’t going to start his day having another crisis about being 24 and still single. He switched his phone off and hauled himself out of bed and into the kitchen to make himself some tea. His thoughts wandered as he waited for his tea to cool down. He thought about Dream and the incoming present. George knew Dream loved gift giving, he loved giving money to his friends and buying them equipment if they needed it. It was his love language. He wondered if it were something they could stream together or whether it was a game just for them. He longed for the moments when it was just him and Dream messing around together, without thousands of viewers reading into every bit of banter they shared. The flirty jokes they shared would subside a bit when the cameras were off but every now and then Dream would sprinkle one in and George’s heart would flutter slightly. He found it harder and harder to distinguish whether he actually felt something for Dream or if he just liked the attention from someone. He had discovered in the past few months that Dream would sometimes make him feel as if he was floating; it was confusing, exciting, and scary all at the same time. It was easy to just pass it off as comedy when they were streaming or recording but when it happened during those times when it was just them…well it would keep him up late into the night.

He paced about his house for a few hours, eating some toast and watching something on Netflix, all the while his ears were braced for that one knock. He checked the time on his phone: 12:42 pm. Well, it was noon. As if he manifested it just by thinking about it for the eighty-fifth time, there was a knock at the door. He jumped off the couch and opened the door. The Royal Mail man was already walking away when George looked down and saw a thick rectangular package. He picked it up and eagerly started tearing into it as he walked back to sit on the couch. Before opening it completely, he texted Dream.

 _It came. Should I do an unboxing video lol_?

Dream took a few minutes to reply and George wondered whether he was still sleeping. He waited, impatiently shaking his leg. _Dream is typing_ …

_No, this is just for us :)._

George had to breathe deeply to calm his heart. _Don’t read into it George_ , he thought. He continued ripping the package open until he could see the back of a Minecraft game case. He frowned. Was this a prank? It kind of hurt a bit if it was. He almost texted Dream a scolding response before he noticed the thick square protruding from the other side of the game. He pulled the game out and looked at the front cover.

MINECRAFT: VR EDITION.

He looked down at the remaining gift. It was a small black square box. He pulled it out and stared at it with his mouth drooped open. _Dream_ … He typed out.

 _Do you like it_?

Yes, he definitely did like it. It was the newest advancement in virtual reality. A small circle pad that you would put on your temple would transport you into a hyper-realistic version of whatever game you were playing. He had tested it in a store with some fighting game and the experience was unreal…much like the price. George looked into it when he found out they were releasing in late November but when he found out streaming it would just look like a regular game to viewers, he just couldn’t justify spending that amount of money. He had told Dream all this of course. He wondered whether Dream had gone out and bought it for him that day…

 _You’re crazy_. George typed with a wide smile.

 _The game is going to be crazy, trust me. I’ve been playing all night. You can literally feel everything_.

George swallowed. Everything? Even other people? If that were the case then this would be the closest Dream and he had ever gotten, even if it was still just in a video game. He thanked Dream.

 _It’s no problem. Set it up and join my game_!

George took the gifts into his bedroom and excitedly rushed through the instructions on how to set it up. He loaded up the new Minecraft game and held the little circle pad on his fingertip. What if he just entered the game and there Dream was, in all his graciousness. George wouldn’t even know what to do. He had thought about meeting Dream so many times, about what he looked like and if he would hug him or not. His spirits dwindled a little when a ‘customise character’ screen showed up. He customised it to look as similar to himself as he could. Then he hesitated, maybe he should change it up? Maybe make himself look more appealing to Dream? He shook his head, Dream already knew what he looked like, his natural appearance will have to do.

He looked at his PC, “Please attach your VR device before continuing”. He took a deep breath in and placed the little device on his right temple. He felt his outgoing breath be sucked out of him as his body rag-dolled into his chair and his eyes glazed over. He blinked once and harsh sunlight consumed his vision. He held up his arm over his eyes and slowly squinted open. He was standing on soft, lush grass in the middle of a large plains biome. George had never been able to take in how beautiful the Minecraft worlds really were due to his colour blindness, but fortunately for him, the VR device corrected his vision. It felt so bizarre to have been sitting comfortably in his chair seconds ago when now he was standing alone in a vast and seemingly endless field of grass. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and he crossed his arms as if to protect himself. He turned around and saw the beginnings of a dark oak forest a little way away, so he began walking in that direction. He knew how to play Minecraft, right? He knew wood is always step number one.

He jumped as he felt a small vibration on his left thigh. He looked down and noticed something in the pocket there. He reached in and pulled out a small square screen. **< Dream> Come to me, I have food and supplies for you. -165, 64**. George pressed a little button on the screen that said ‘show coordinates’ and found he was heading in the right direction anyway. He typed out a reply to Dream, **< Georgenotfound> Be there in 5**.

When he finally reached the trees, he stopped. _So how does this work?_ He thought, _do I just touch it?_ He put his hand up to the tree, but nothing happened. He tried pushing on the wood and punching it like in the game normally but all that resulted in was sore knuckles. He stood back from the tree and examined it. It looked _so real_ , it _felt_ so real. His mind raced with all the other things he would be able to touch; the soft sand of a desert biome, towering mushrooms; Dream…

He decided to just run and find Dream first before night came and he was stranded without any food, weapons, or armor. After about 3 more minutes of walking a little more north-west, the sun was starting to set, and George was approaching an expansive beach with white, glistening sand. He looked down at his coordinates-a little too north. He walked onto the sad; it was soft but not so soft that he couldn’t easily walk on it still. He looked up to see the Sun setting in an array of beautiful pinks and reds on the horizon in front of him. If the nagging thought of mobs beginning to spawn in the forest behind him didn’t persist, he might have taken a moment to fully take in how serine the sight was. But it did, so he looked to his left down the beach and noticed an area lit up by torches.

As he approached closer, he could make out the shadow of someone walking around the area and he felt his pace quicken. That must be Dream. He felt his heart rate pick up as his feet did the same. He could see the person was tall and wearing green. George’s mouth suddenly felt dry as he was now only a few meters from the camp. The person must have heard him coming then because he turned around and waved. George could see he was wearing his signature mask over the top half of his face and he felt somewhat disappointed. He would have loved to look into Dream’s eyes for the first time, even if it wasn’t _really_ him.

“Dream!” George called out happily as he slowed his pace to a walk again.

“Hey!” Dream yelled back excitedly, equally as elated to see him. He bent down to grab something out of a chest and jogged over to meet George halfway. George could see a wide smile on his face, and he returned it. “You made it. Did you have any trouble?”

“No, but I feel utterly useless. I don’t even know how to bloody chop wood.” He replied. They were in front of each other now. Dream was wearing a lime green hoody and jeans. George swallowed what little saliva he had left. Should he hug him? It seemed too personal to hug someone you had never actually met. But then again George felt like he’d known Dream his whole life. When Dream didn’t initiate the hug, George decided against it as well.

“Did you not play the tutorial?” Dream chuckled.

George frowned, “…there was a tutorial?”

Dream laughed-George lived for that laugh- “It’s all good, I can show you.” George blushed. “Here, take these, I’m sure your hunger is pretty low.” He held out a handful of what looked like burnt strips of meat. George scrunched up his nose. “They taste good,” Dream said quickly, noticing George’s disgust, “It’s pork chops. I assume they probably can’t put hyper-realistic slaughtering of animals in a game so when you ‘kill’ you literally just press a button on them a few times and they disappear and leave an item. I was kind of disappointed honestly, but it is a kid’s game.”

“Right,” said George. He took one of the pork chops and held it up to his nose. It smelled enough like food…He looked up at Dream and held it to his mouth. Looking at Dreams patient smile, he took a bite. It was _good_. He swallowed the rest of it in a few more bites and felt himself become less fatigued instantly. The VR device must alter energy levels within the game.

“Good right?” Dream read his mind. George nodded and took the other two from Dreams' hand. “Come on over, I’ve set up a nice little camp,” As George ate the other two strips, Dream lead him over to the small wooden shack he had set up with torches lining the sand around it, “and I think we should sleep for the night. I tried to survive the night last night and I almost died twice. I think me and you together could survive,” George gave a small smile he hoped Dream didn’t see, “but I don’t want to risk it without better weapons.” Dream opened the door of the shack and held it for George.

It was weird to walk into a wooden structure that still had sandy floors since this felt so realistic. It was okay in video games, but this didn’t feel like a game. He looked around and saw a large chest in the left corner of the room and two white single beds with a small space in between in the right corner.

George heard Dreams voice behind him in the doorway and he turned around, “I didn’t know if we were ready to put our Minecraft beds together yet.” He joked.

George felt a creeping warmth crawl up his neck, “Ha ha.” He said sarcastically.

“C’mon, there’s still a few more minutes of sunlight left. We can watch the sunset and you can admire how much of a good friend I am.”

George rolled his eyes at Dream but as he followed him out of the door and onto the beach he felt he had to say something as appreciation. Without him buying the device for George, he wouldn’t have been able to stand here with his best friend and watch the most lovely sunset he had ever seen.

George had always been bad about showing real affection though. As much as he craved it, he’d just get all shy and reserved whenever someone tried to compliment him or say they loved him. So instead of giving Dream a genuine show of thanks, he spoke quietly as they stood side by side, “You didn’t have to spend that much money on me.”

“I know,” Dream smiled under his mask again, “but it was worth it.” George could feel Dream looking down at him but he kept his eyes fixated on the horizon. “I like how you customized yourself.”

George huffed amusedly, “I was going to make myself into some hot girl for you, but I realised you already know what I look like.”

Then Dream said something that made George’s breath hitch, “I think you look good exactly as you are.”

George swallowed hard and brought himself to look back up at Dream, “I wish I could see what you look like…”

Dream paused, the smile faltering, and George internally panicked. Was that too much? Maybe he wore the mask because he wasn’t comfortable enough with George yet. “You know what?” said Dream, “You’re right.” He reached up to his mask and George’s breathing stopped completely. He took it off in one motion and looked down at George with light green eyes that stood out against the warm shades of red encompassing them both. George just blinked up at him. All he could think was, _beautiful_. Dream had little starry freckles that spread around in constellations on his face and long blonde eyelashes. George didn’t even care if this wasn’t what Dream looked like in real life, right now, he was the perfect image in George’s head. Dream looked nervously back to the sunset and George noticed that he must have been staring. “It’s crazy, hey? How real this all feels.”

George’s voice cracked when he spoke and he mentally cussed himself out, “Y-yeah,” he turned back to the sunset, which was quickly disappearing into the ocean and leaving a pale pink and deep blue sky in its wake, “it doesn’t even feel like Minecraft.”

A few moments of silence filled the air until the Sun was almost completely out of view and Dream cleared his throat, “Well, we should probably get to bed. The mobs would’ve already started spawning in the woods.”

“Right,” George followed him back to their little cabin, “are the mobs scary?” he asked quietly, maybe he sounded like a wuss but if _everything_ was this realistic, he couldn’t imagine seeing a skeleton with a crossbow coming at you and giant spiders would be overly pleasant.

“No, not really, I think they would need to market it as a horror game if they were also realistic-looking.” Dream chuckled, “they just look like CGI versions of what they are in the game.”

Dream began putting things away in the chest whilst George sat down on the bed closest to the right wall. Suddenly, his little square tablet buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and read the text on the screen, ‘You may not rest, there are monsters nearby.’ His eyes widened; they were here already? What was he supposed to do now? He was defenseless and by the looks of it, Dream didn’t have much on him either. “Dream.” He spoke, a sense of urgency in his tone.

“Hm?” Dream was preoccupied with the chest, so George got up and showed him the message. Dream immediately stood up straight and pulled a stone sword out of thin air behind him. He looked around the room.

“What do you w-“ George began but stopped as Dream held a finger up to his own mouth.

And then they both heard it, the familiar low grumble of a zombie. “You stay inside.” Dream said quietly to George, a serious look in his eyes. George nodded and watched anxiously as Dream slowly approached the door and opened it. He held his breath as Dream poked his head out, searching from side to side for the intruder. Finally, he stepped out and George saw him disappear into the now black night. He heard some scuffling around the left side of the house and then a short but loud explosion. George ran out from the house and circled around the side to see Dream knocked onto his back in the middle of a crater, “Dream!” he called out in panic.

“Ah- George,” Dream groaned and attempted to sit up, “take my sword!” he held it out and George scrambled down the sand to take it off him. He clambered back out of the crater and held the sword out shakily at the zombie as it approached him.

If George looked close enough, he could tell the zombie was fake; it looked exactly like how Dream described; like a CGI projection of a green zombie with a few strings of rotting flesh drooping from its face. George hesitated with the sword; he didn’t know how the fighting systems worked in this game yet.

As if sensing his panic, Dream explained, “You need to hit the little grey button on the side of its neck!”

George raised a shaky arm and jabbed the sword forward into the left side of the zombies’ neck. He heard a small *clink* as if the sword had connected with something metallic. The zombie jumped back a meter but came straight back for George. George moved backwards a bit before stabbing the zombie once again. This time the zombie toppled over and faded into thin air. George saw two brown, ugly, strips of what looked like rotten meat take the place of where it once was. He ran over to Dream and skidded down the sand again. Dream was now on all fours trying to push himself up. Without a second thought, George bent over and reached down for his right arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, helping him to his feet.

“I gotta get-“ Dream breathed heavily as George lifted him up the sand hill, “back inside-“ he kept pausing to take more deep breaths, “must be on- half a heart. A-A creeper-“

George shushed him, “It’s okay we’re going to get you back inside and we’re going to sleep.” George opened the door and let Dream clumsily topple into his bed as he closed it behind him. “Are you okay? Do you want me to get you something to eat?” he questioned as he watched Dream roll onto his back and saw his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“No just-“ he huffed, “get into bed. We have to close our eyes.”

George hurried into his bed against the wall and turned onto his side to look at Dream. Dream tilted his head to his left and smirked at George, “Night, George.” he said, and George felt butterflies. This was so weird, he was having what was basically a sleepover with Dream. He wondered what it would be like to fall asleep with their beds together, foreheads touching as they look at each other just as they are now. Dream fluttered his eyes shut and George followed.

When George’s eyes reopened seconds later, Dream was already sitting up. He could see sunlight shining in from the holes in the door. “Well that was a bit dramatic, wasn’t it?” Dream joked, getting to his feet and staring down at George.

George chuckled, it really was, this was just Minecraft after all, they couldn’t _really_ die. Then he noticed a small pink blush spread across Dreams freckled features.

“Th-Thanks,” Dream stuttered as he held out a hand, “It would be kind of embarrassing if I died on the first night you’re here…”

George looked at his hand and his pupils dilated; it was just a hand, but this would be the first time George had ever really _touched_ Dream. Last night had happened so fast he couldn’t even appreciate how Dream’s body almost encased George with how much taller he was. He could hear himself swallow as he reached out his right hand and connected it with Dreams' soft palm. George let himself be lifted by Dream and suddenly they were so _close_. “I-It was no problem.” He said shyly, looking up into Dreams eyes despite his inner cries to avoid eye contact. They just stood there, staring at each other, with their hands still wrapped around the others. When George felt the sudden urge to lean up and connect their lips, he panicked and took his hand away, “Well, I should probably get going,” he said quickly and looked around at anything but Dream, “how do I get out of this thing anyway?”

Dream chuckled, “So you _really_ didn’t do the tutorial? What would you do without me?”

George smiled and rolled his eyes, “Okay whatever. I was excited to play okay, I didn’t know there was a tutorial.”

“All you have to do is yell ‘exit game’, and it’ll take you right out.”

“Right well,” George finally met Dreams' eyes again, “I’ll um-I’ll text you..”

“Bye George.” Dream smiled softly.

George smiled back and spoke, “Exit Game.” And disappeared before Dreams' eyes.


	2. The Beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your kind words on the first chapter. I'm planning on posting every Monday (Australian time) so expect at least one chapter every week and maybe sometimes two.  
> This is a work of fiction! Please don't harass creators about shipping <3

Dream just stood there for a moment, staring at the empty space where George had been seconds ago. What the hell was _that_? He sat back down on his bed and put his head in his hands. His face felt hot and his heart took some real convincing not to just pop out of his chest. He raked his hands down his face and his fingers traced his lips. Had he really just wanted to-to _kiss_ -his best friend?

The urge had crept up on him so quickly that he had almost let it completely take over his better judgement. Thank god George said something when he did. When George had grabbed Dreams’ hand like that-so delicate and tenderly-Dream had felt tingles erupt from the contact and spread up and down his body, making him feel like a live wire whose brain would short circuit if anything more happened.

It was just the _shock_ of it, that’s all…he had never had any real physical contact with his streamer friends; he hadn’t had any physical contact with _anyone_ in a while. Dream sat there, trying to convince himself that it was just the shock of it that shut down his brain for a second. But was he not still blushing? Was he not still feeling the same flushness that happened when he would catch someone pretty looking at him? George had just looked so-so _enchanting_. Dream had an easy 4 feet over him and looking at George from that angle, rather than the usual face cam angle that he was used to, well it painted George in a whole new light to Dream.

They had been flirting back and forth for months now, but Dream had never really felt anything like _that_. Sometimes George would call out Dream’s name for him to help him and it would make Dream’s stomach buzz, but he had convinced himself that it was just because he liked feeling needed by someone. But after seeing him in person-well, kind of-and _touching_ him…the feelings become so muddled it made Dream’s head spin.

He breathed out deeply and yelled clearly, “Exit Game.”

He felt his gaming chair underneath him before his eyes adjusted to his room. He reached up to his right temple and plucked out the device, putting it safely back into its box. He tapped his phone on the desk in front of him and read the time; 10:45 am. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes, a yawn escaping him. He had only managed to get three hours of sleep last night; he was too excited to play the game with George. But now that he had gone through that attack this morning, and all… _that_ , with George, the exhaustion was creeping up to him. Maybe that was why he was feeling all these weird new emotions? It’s just the fatigue infecting his brain, he thought.

He got up from his chair and made his way to the bathroom, deciding he would just take a shower, clear his head, and then take a nap. He took off the shirt he had been wearing and looked at himself in the mirror above the sink. He sighed at the dark shadows forming under his usually bright eyes. A few more days of him sticking to this scattered sleep schedule and he was sure people would start thinking he was just a walking corpse. George never looked tired and weary. George always looked so bright and fresh-faced and alive.

He turned on the shower and stripped down before stepping in and letting the water warm up around him. He tried to think about the SMP and the current arc; he tried to think about patches and where she was right now; he even tried to think about what groceries he needed, but his thoughts just kept wandering back to George.

He began thinking about how beautiful the whole scene on the beach was. He could still see the shades of pink and red reflected in George’s deep brown eyes as they looked up at him. His lips were the same peach shade as the clouds furthest from the Sun. Dream would sometimes just watch George’s streams just to see the moments when he wasn’t paying attention to how he looked on camera. When he would chew his bottom lip or when he would throw his head back to get comfy for a moment. Dream had watched him intensely whilst George kept his eyes on the sunset, just to see if he would do anything. He noticed how George blinked rapidly when Dream had said he looked good. Then he had turned to Dream and asked to see his face and Dream had internally panicked so much he was almost going to just exit the game. But this was George, and Dream knew that no matter how much they mocked each other in streams, George would be supportive. So he took off the mask. He could see a lot more of George’s face without the mask; he could see his brown eyes widen in surprise; he could see his tongue dart out and lick his lips quickly, and he could see the red splotches creeping across his cheeks. Come to think of it, Dream wasn’t sure how he didn’t grab George’s soft face in his hands and kiss him right then and there. It was just something about George’s touch that sent Dream’s brain into overdrive.

Dream put his face directly under the water. _Please_ , he thought, stop thinking about your friend that way. He turned off the tap and wrapped himself in a towel. He needed to make sure things weren’t weird between them after that whole ordeal. After putting on a white t-shirt and black boxers, he grabbed his phone from where it was sitting on his gaming desk and fell down onto his bed, holding his phone above his face as he typed.

_Hey, what’re you doing?_

He sat up and grabbed the towel from where he had discarded it carelessly on his bedroom floor and started absentmindedly drying his hair. He shot an anxious look at his phone every few seconds and chewed his bottom lip as he waited for George’s reply. Eventually, the three dots showed up.

_Just shopping, what’s up?_

Dream dropped the towel back onto the floor and crawled up to his bedhead where he sat up against his pillows. Everything seemed normal, maybe George didn’t even notice how Dream stared at him or how he almost started _leaning in_ …

 _Nothing. Did you want to play again later?_ He deleted the last sentence. _Nothing. Are you streaming today?_

_I wasn’t going to but Sapnap said he’s streaming tonight. We could join?_

Dream sighed; it was business as usual thank god. _Yeah sounds good. Text me when you’re on_.

George didn’t reply after that. Dream didn’t usually like napping during the day, but seeing as how he had had a cumulative 7 hours of sleep in the last 2 days and had just wanted to make out with his best friend in a video game mere hours ago, he decided it was better just to give in. He set an alarm for 2 hours later and put his phone under the pillow next to him. He curled up on his side and pulled his bedsheet up to his shoulders before closing his eyes and quickly falling into a deep slumber.

Dream was in such a sedated state that he didn’t even hear his alarm sound 2 hours in. He instead, awoke seven and a half hours later as the cooling late afternoon air seeped in through his window. He felt like he had been winded, and his eyes were still cloudy, but he forced himself to sit up. He grabbed his phone from under his pillow and read the discord notifications.

Georgenotfound  
 _Hey, he’s starting his stream early. You joining?_  
We’re just in the SMP  
Hey I’m going to bed soon, are you coming on?

Dream jumped up and rushed to his computer. He found the voice chat that Sapnap and George were in and quickly joined before booting up Minecraft and joining the server.

“There he is,” said Sapnap in a very ‘you’re grounded for coming home so late’ tone, “we thought maybe you had decided to actually go outside for once.”

Dream chuckled, “I fell asleep.”

“Oh, are you sweepy Dweam?” mocked Sapnap in a baby voice.

Before Dream could clap back, George interjected, “Leave him alone, he would’ve only gotten like 3 hours sleep.”

Dream swallowed. He could just visualize Sapnap raising his eyebrows.

Sure enough, “How the hell do you know that George?” Sapnap questioned cheekily.

“We were chatting when I woke up so it would have been like 2 something in the morning and then he was awake like 4 hours later when we played…” George trailed off and Sapnap didn’t persist, “Your sleeping pattern is so messed up, Dream.”

Dream groaned, “You’re telling me. I just fell asleep for eight hours in the middle of the day.”

Sapnap began mocking him in a baby voice again, “Wittle baby Dweam needs his eight hours of sleep a day.”

“Yes, literally everyone does.” Dream laughed.

They joked around like this, running around the SMP aimlessly, for another hour. Dream was feeling better about the whole George situation with every passing minute. It was clearly just the sleep deprivation; he should really work on that. George let out a loud yawn and Sapnap jumped on it.

“Oh now big baby Gogy is tired too.”

“Shut up Sapnap, it’s like 1 am here.” George retorted. “And I’ve been up since 7.”

“Yeah? And what have you been doing all day? Sitting around I’m sure.”

“Dream and I played...” he quietened his voice, “the new Minecraft.”

“What?” said Sapnap, “The VR edition? That shit is so overpriced, and it’s not even streamer friendly.”

Dream interjected, “It’s actually not overpriced. It’s so worth the price tag”

There was silence for a few moments and then George mumbled, “…Dream bought it for me anyway so…”

Dream instinctively looked at Sapnap’s chat that was upon the monitor to his right. After a minute delay, he saw the words of astonishment flood the chat.

“He what!?” Sapnap yelled, “He bought you the damn VR shit, but he didn’t buy it for me? We’ve literally been friends for longer, this is so dumb, I hate you guys.” 

Dream laughed, “What happened to it being overpriced?”

Sapnap cursed under his breath and punched Dream a few times. “What was it like?” he asked, “Is it as real as everyone says it is?”

“It’s weird,” George answered, “you can literally feel the sand and the wind and stuff. It’s insane honestly.”

“So you can feel pretty much everything?” Sapnap began, “Well,” he sighed, “If you guys are going to bang in the game, can you just stream it? It’ll just look like two block people anyway.”

Neither George nor Dream spoke. Dream could feel the familiar churning in his stomach, and he cleared his throat and gave a short, forced laugh.

“Anyway,” George finally said, “I’m tired. I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow”

Sapnap groaned, “Ugh, you’re so boring George.”

George huffed softly, “Bye.” Then he exited the voice chat and left the game.

Dream could feel the absence of George as he and Sapnap continued playing. He had done this many times before, played with just Sapnap. But he had only gotten about an hour of George’s attention and by Dreams’ standards, that just wasn’t enough.

Almost as if the other man had been reading his mind, he heard his discord notification sound. He looked onto his left monitor and read George’s message.

_Hey, I can’t sleep. Do you want to play when you’re done with the stream?_

Dream’s heart skipped a little and he reminded himself that he was over this. He didn’t actually like George like that. It was just a lack of sleep…

“Hey, Sapnap.” He said.

“Mm?”

“I’m going to head off now.”

Sapnap whined, “I literally stream like once a week and this is what you guys do?”

“I know, I know.” Dream chuckled. “We love you though.” He added and saw Sapnaps small smile a few moments later.

“Just go fuck George in your stupid VR beds.” Sapnap joked.

Dream blushed, “Yeah, okay, I will.” He tried to play it off as a joke with a small laugh. “Bye.”

He left the game and vc before closing Sapnap’s stream and replying to George. _Yeah, I’m done now. I’ll meet you there_. He sat back in his chair and stared at the little black box that contained his VR device. He wasn’t going to get carried away this time, he thought. He was going to play a friendly game with his friend where they chop trees and build houses; he was _not_ going to kiss his friend tonight.

He booted up the VR edition of Minecraft and entered the world he had created just for himself and George. ‘Please attach your VR device before continuing.’ So with slightly shaky hands, he opened the box and pressed the pad to his right temple. He felt himself go limp in his chair and his eyes were blasted with a harsh white light. He blinked a few times and let his eyes slowly adjust. He could feel the soft woolen bed underneath him and could see the dark oak roof above him. He rolled his head to the left and saw George, sitting up patiently facing him, watching him. He smiled.

“Morning sleepyhead,” George smirked softly. He always looked so gentle to Dream; like if Dream hugged him, he would just melt into his tender touch.

Dream sat up and ruffled his hair. He stretched his arms out and stood, looking down at George who stared up at him. The silence was deafening to Dream. He really didn’t want this to be awkward. Please just let everything go back to normal. “Well, what do you want to do today?” he asked, looking around at the very empty room.

“I don’t mind.” Said George, “Maybe something fun though. I’m so sick of being stuck in my house all the time. It’s nice to be outside and doing stuff, even if it’s not really real.”

“Right,” Dream nodded, “right…” he trailed off and the silence returned. He looked back down at George and saw that he was now looking at his feet, chewing his lip; he looked like he was thinking hard about something. “Is there something you had in mind?” he questioned.

George opened his mouth, then closed it, then looked up at Dream and spoke quietly, “Well I was thinking we could have a beach day…”

Dream frowned, “Like, just go swimming? Is that really what you want to do?” He chuckled.

“Yeah,” George stood up, still having to crane his neck upwards to look at Dream. Dream noticed how close they were and moved over to sit on the chest to put some distance between them. “We don’t have a lot of nice beaches in Britain and I had a peak outside, and the weather is so lovely. Plus, it’s already starting to get below 10 degrees in London, so I won’t be going outside much anymore.”

“Alright then,” Dream chuckled, “Let’s have a beach day I guess.”

Dream watched George’s face light up and he couldn’t help but smile wide himself, “Really?” George exclaimed, “Let’s go then, before the Sun starts setting.” He walked quickly out the door and George followed.

On his way into the water, George began to take off different articles of clothing, throwing his shoes and socks, his blue shirt, and his jeans, carelessly into the sand. He waded his way into the glistening water and dived under before emerging and shaking out his hair. “Oh, Dream, it’s so nice in here!” he called out.

Dream had to shade his eyes with his hand in order to see George, but there he was, practically naked beside his underwear, his pale chest reflecting the harsh sunlight, waiting for Dream to join him in the water. Dream gulped, “Y’know we could have just put on swimmers?” he said nervously.

George raised his eyebrows at Dream, “We literally have this whole beach to ourselves? I didn’t realize I was friends with a wimp, Dream.” He laughed.

It was true; he had never been to a beach in Florida that wasn’t packed with tourists so maybe it was just the preconditioned idea of ‘you can’t legally get naked on a beach’ that was stuck in his head. Or maybe he was just scared of how intimate it would be.

“Oh, come _on_!” George whined, “We only have 10 minutes of sunlight.”

Dream sucked in a deep breath and pulled his green hoodie over his head, discarding it to the side and tugging his white undershirt back down. He could feel George’s eyes on him as he moved his hands down to the button of his jeans. Whilst pointing his head to the ground, he glanced up through the strands of his sandy blonde hair and could see George standing still and staring intently at him. He could feel his cheeks flush with color as he yanked the jeans off his feet. He chose to keep some shred of privacy by keeping his white shirt on.

Slowly, he approached the shore. He shuddered slightly as the cool water reached his feet. He looked around at his surroundings and was suddenly reminded that they were in a _video game_ as an animated looking chicken ran out from the forest behind their hut. He huffed and turned back to George. “Isn’t it cold?” he questioned, goosebumps covering his legs as the water reached his ankles.

George rolled his eyes, “You’re such a _baby_ , Dream.” He swam deeper into the ocean so that now when he stood, the water was just under his shoulders. “Come on, it’s warmer the further you get in.”

Dream clenched his jaw and trudged further into the waves. George was right, by the time it got to his waist, the water was now a pleasant tepid temperature. When he reached George, the water was only an inch above his chest. “Well? How do you like the beach, George?”

George looked around, smiling, “It’s so pretty. I’ve never really been able to understand how beautiful the water is but it’s so _rich_ in color-it’s amazing.”

Seeing George talk so passionately about something as mundane as water, was heart-warming. Dream chuckled softly, “Yeah, Florida beaches are never this quiet. It’s a nice experience for me too.”

“Are you not going to put your head under?” asked George.

“I wasn’t planning on it, no.”

George shot him a disapproving look, “Then you’re not getting the full experience.” He shook his head and tutted, “What? Are you afraid you’ll get your _hair_ wet?”

Dream splashed George, “Shut up.” he laughed.

George flinched when the water reached his face and he looked back at Dream, his mouth shocked wide, “Did you just splash me?”

Dream chuckled again, “Yeah and? What’re you going to do about it, shorty?” Dream moved closer to him so that he towered over him. With one swift motion, George splashed water up into Dream’s face. Dream closed his eyes and dragged the water away from his eyes with his fingers. “Oh, so we’re doing this?” he said to George who raised an eyebrow at him.

“You started it.” George shrugged.

Dream sent a wave of water at George and quickly swam away back up the beach. George followed him into the waist level water and dove to splash him back before retreating under the waves.

They continued this for a few more minutes before they were both puffing in exhaustion. Dream braced for a splash from George as he emerged a few feet further into the ocean. But instead, George faced the horizon, where the Sun was now beginning to set. The sky was becoming a flaming orange as the water grew steadily darker. They stood in silence for a while as they both caught their breath. Then, George suddenly dove back under. As the water was now a deep blue, Dream couldn’t see where he was swimming. He looked around to see if George had popped up anywhere, but he couldn’t spot him.

He was starting to worry that a guardian or something had gotten him under the water when he suddenly emerged right in front of Dream, his dark hair dripping droplets down his face and his warm brown eyes gazing up at him. Dream could feel his body heating up again despite the chilly ocean around him. He knew his neck was probably the same red as the sunset now was. He awkwardly smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze from George and instead looking over his head at the sunset behind him. “I wonder how long they took to program this.” He joked, “I bet half the budget went into just sunsets.”

“Yeah,” George responded, clearly not really listening. Dream could see George’s eyes trail down his body as the water only just reached his hips. He swallowed and instinctively crossed his arms; he could feel how his wet shirt stuck to his skin and he looked down to pull it away from his body when he noticed George’s eyes scanning him as he chewed his lip.

“G-George?” He murmured and the other man's eyes shot back up to meet his as if being snapped out of a trance.

“I um-I have to go now, Dream.” George said quickly.

Dream frowned, “Wait what? Seriously, already?” They had only been playing for around 10 minutes by this point.

“Yeah, I um-“ George stuttered, “I-I just realized I have to be up early tomorrow. I should really get to bed.”

“Oh, okay well,” Dream smiled sadly, “Night, then.”

George returned the same soft smile and Dream could see that he didn’t look flushed or aglow but red with embarrassment. Dream frowned for a second but didn’t question it.

“Bye, Dream,” said George, “exit game,” he spoke clearly and seconds later felt himself sit up in his gaming chair, a clear stiffness in the sweatpants he had been wearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and feedback are so very appreciated btw, thank you so much.


	3. The Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the support you've given me so far. I will probably change my upload schedule to every two weeks as work is pretty hectic right now. Comments are always appreciated <3xx  
> This is a work of fiction! Please don't harass creators about shipping.

George quickly moved his hand to his temple and plucked the device, putting it safely back into its box with shaky hands. He looked up to the roof and let out a long breath, attempting to ignore the blood rushing down his body in tingly waves. He removed all thoughts of Dream and his stupid green eyes and how pretty they were, half-lidded and tired, staring down at George. He was not about to jerk off to the thought of his best friend, water dripping from his blonde locks, smile soft but wide enough to show his sharp canines. He had let himself get too carried away in the moment again. He knew it was a mistake to play on the server so soon after that whole thing last night. Why did he suggest they go swimming? And why did he _undress_ like that? At the time he just didn’t think. But my _god_ -watching Dream strip like that, watching his shirt ride up as his hoodie was being pulled over his head, how could George not get carried away?

He breathed deeply a few more times before the rush of heat subsided. He shut down his computer and collapsed into his bed. He turned his phone onto do not disturb and placed it on charge on top of the brown bedside table next to him. He just wanted to sleep all of this off, no loud notifications or calls would be waking him up before he was ready. The soothing chill of wind issuing from underneath his curtains helped lull him to sleep.

George was there, on the beach, watching the sunset for the third time in a week. This time the sky was scattered with lilac clouds and the water reflected a deep purple shade. He didn’t jump as a soft hand brushed down his left arm and intertwined with his own. He felt comfortable and complicit as he felt a kiss being placed on the top of his head. He didn’t look to his left to see who gave it and instead leaned his head into the taller person's arm. Then the person shifted to face him, blocking the vast ocean in front and George looked up. There was Dream, smiling gently down at him, his eyes lidded. He kept his right hand intertwined with George’s and moved his left hand to cup George’s cheek. George tilted his head into the soft touch, it was so nice just to be held like this. George closed his eyes as Dream rubbed gentle circles into his cheek with his thumb. He listened to the sound of waves gently rolling into the sand, the water just barely reaching their feet. Then he felt an affectionate kiss on his forehead and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Dreams middle, burying his head in his chest. In this moment, with the Sun dipping slowly under the horizon and the water calming for the night ahead, and Dreams warmth encompassing him, George had never felt so comfortable and happy and loved.

He could have stayed like this forever had it not been for the sudden brush of sharp wintery air that ran up his exposed arms from underneath his curtains; he really had to remember to start shutting his window at night. He pulled his grey comforter up under his chin and willed himself to fall back asleep, but it was too late. He blinked his eyes open and could see the sunrays of midday filling the gaps in his curtains and lighting up the room. Then he remembered the dream, and suddenly it was like he could feel Dream’s warmth all over again as his skin tingled.

What the hell was _that_? He thought. He had had sex dreams about the other man before but that was a whole other part of his brain that he surely couldn’t control. But that-that was so personal. It was so… _intimate_. It felt so invasive to be dreaming about his friend in that way and to be feeling that way. In the dream, it had felt so normal to be held and touched by Dream, but in his wakeful state he thought about how he would feel if one of his friends had told him they’d had a dream about George holding their hand and kissing their forehead and his face grew hot with embarrassment. He sat up and curled his knees so that they supported his elbows as he buried his face in his hands.

How could he just casually talk to his friends today when he knew his mind would be locked on the feeling of Dream’s long arms wrapping around his shoulders as he rested his head on top of George’s own. He certainly couldn’t talk to the man himself; he just knew he’d get all flustered and make things worse. He just needed to get his mind away from it- away from _Dream_.

He didn’t even touch the phone on his bedside table as he flicked his blankets off and practically ran to his cupboard to put on a jumper. He could feel his shoulders crack as he pulled the fabric over his head; he must’ve been asleep for a while if he could feel the lack of movement in his joints. He padded over to his computer and shook the mouse, checking the time but not sparing a glance at the notifications popping up on the bottom right; 12:34 pm. So it was a _really_ deep sleep. Good. He needed it.

He made his way into the kitchen and made himself a sandwich for lunch. He looked out the window and could see, despite the Sun trying its very best, the road was icy and the few trees in his area looked sad and decayed. He hated being alone during winter. He often thought of how nice it would be to have someone with him, cozying up on the couch as snow covered the ground outside. He sighed into his tea and took a bite of his sandwich. Winter was a lonely time, that’s probably what prompted the dream last night. He was just craving affection and warmth and they both materialized in his thoughts.

He had always preferred to stay inside during winter; had preferred to use the cold months to create content and stream more often. So, after showering and hurriedly changing back into a new pair of sweatpants and the same jumper, he sat in front of his monitors and switched them all on.

10 New Notifications:

One from his mum telling him about Christmas plans  
Two from people @ing him on Twitter  
One Facebook notification  
Then…  
Dream  
 _I’m just going out to breakfast but then can we play?_ +5 more notifications.

George clicked expand on the discord notification but made sure not to open them.

Dream Today at 7:04 AM

_Ugh I slept for too long yesterday and now I can’t fall back asleep. You awake?_

Dream Today at 8:12 AM

_That sunset was really nice :) we should do fun stuff like that more often._

Dream Today at 8:46 AM

_Okay I think I’m finally going to sleep, but just spam call me if you want to play because I want to play too._

Dream Today at 12:01 PM

_Patches woke me up. You can’t still be passed out :(((_

Dream Today at 12:41 PM

_George I’m bored pay attention to me._

Dream Today at 1:10 PM

_I’m just going out to breakfast, but then can we play?_

George brought his leg up onto the chair and pressed his face into his knee, sighing audibly. He needed one Dream free day just to clear his confused mind- especially after that embarrassing dream- but seeing his repeated messages did make him feel a little bad.

Despite his guilt, he ignored the messages and brought up OBS, preparing his camera and sending out a tweet. It’s only moments later when George sees the notification pop up.

Dream  
 _Do you want company on your stream?_

He closed his eyes and sighed. He just needed a good productive stream, and his mind would be cleared of Dream. He opened Minecraft and created a new world before hovering over the ‘start streaming’ button. Flashes of Dream’s gentle hands on his cheeks threatened to intrude his thoughts but he shook them out and put on a small smile. He clicked the button and watched as his chat automatically started flooding with messages.

He greeted everyone and started the timer for the ‘speed run’ that never actually ends up being a speed run. Everything was normal for a while until the notifications kept popping up on his right monitor.

Dream  
 _I’m free if you want someone to join :)_

He clenched his jaw; George thought he was needy, but Dream was on another level today. He ignored it and went back to responding to a donation.

Dream  
 _Are you ignoring me, George? We haven’t spoken in like 12 hours now, must be a record for us?_

George felt the guilt build in his stomach; it wasn’t Dreams’ fault he was having romantic dreams about him. He just couldn’t risk saying anything to Dream. George drew his attention back to the screen in front of him, he was facing a large ocean biome now and he was hit in the face with the reminder of the beach… _their_ beach. He could envision Dream, standing in the waves with his white t-shirt stuck to the pale skin of his torso and leaving nothing to the imagination. His hair was displaced messily and wet on his forehead and he stood facing George, smiling with those sharp teeth of his, a hand scratching the back of his head.

Dream  
 _I can see you reading my messages George._

George swallowed and quickly turned back to the desert he’d been running around looking for a lava pool in. There were no more notifications from Dream for a while and George had managed to keep his thoughts on track enough to enter the nether and find a fortress.

George almost ignores the notification that pops up on the other monitor; assuming its’s another plea from Dream; but he sees ‘Sapnap’ out of the corner of his eye and he spares a glance.

Sapnap  
 _You have to come on the SMP right now with Karl and me otherwise I’ll never be your friend again_.

George laughed and spoke to the stream “Sapnap wants me to go on the SMP guys. I don’t know though I think I’m doing pretty well this run.”

He couldn’t have timed it any more perfectly. Seconds later, a blaze knocked him backward off the edge of the fortress and he plummeted into the lava. “Okay,” he said, exiting out of that world, “Dream SMP it is, I guess.”

Excited that the stream was taking a more entertaining turn, he opened TeamSpeak and joined the group Sapnap was in without looking at the other active members.

Sapnap spoke first, laughing, “I was watching your stream, you idiot.”

George jumped on the defense, despite smiling along as well, “There were like 10 blazes and all I had were iron pants.”

“George, you’re just such a dimwit, y’know?” Karl joined, his character playfully hitting George’s with his fist.

“I thought he was doing alright,” spoke Dream, “I mean, he is kind of dumb for entering the nether with virtually no food, but still.”

George could feel his entire body stiffen and his hands felt unusually sweaty. He gave a soft chuckle for the audience’s benefit. He felt baited into the call; he just knew Dream would have run to Sapnap and complained that George was ignoring his messages and then Sapnap- being absolutely clueless as per usual- would have assured him that he wasn’t intentionally ignoring him and decided to settle it by forcing George to interact with him in a call. Little did Sapnap know but every time Dream would even so much as huff into the microphone during the next half hour that they all joked around, tingles would shoot up from the tips of George’s fingers and toes that made his hairs stand on end. He hoped that his goosebumps weren’t noticeable on camera as at one point, Dream had leaned into his microphone and whispered George’s name as his character snuck up behind him.

“Have you guys been playing the new VR edition much?” Sapnap asked.

George absentmindedly chewed on his tongue as Dream answered for him, “A bit yeah.”

“What do you guys even do?” Karl questioned, “Do you just run around playing Minecraft?”

“Well,” said Dream, and George’s eyes widened just a little bit, “we actually had a beach day last night.”

George stayed silent, his need to bite down onto something reaching his bottom lip.

“Is that code for something?” Sapnap laughed.

Karl added, “Yeah, what the honk does ‘beach day’ mean?”

“It means,” Dream began and George mentally chanted, _please don’t say we stripped down to our underwear and splashed each other like a pair of pining teenagers_ , “we went to the beach and swam and- had fun.”

There was a few seconds of excruciating silence as George bit down harder on his lip and had to look quickly over to his chat in order to keep his mind off the image of Dream’s long arms as they reached out for George in the water; a few times they had caught George’s leg or his hips under the water and George felt like that part of his body would just melt off.

“So,” Sapnap broke the silence, “let me get this straight” his tone was hurt and childish, “You are both just having fun little beach parties with each other and you didn’t think to invite _me_?”

The three others laughed in unison. “I like-“ Dream began over them, “I like it with just me and George together.”

George would have ended his stream right then and there if he knew it wouldn’t just add more fuel to the fire. He felt his mouth go dry and the heat that the small tingles had provided now took over his neck and chest. He was thinking fast about what his normal reaction should be; why did he have to say this shit while he was on camera? He was saved from having to say something by Karl.

“It’s okay Sapnap, I’ll buy it for you, and we can have a beach day together.” Said Karl and Sapnap thanked him and joked about how he was the only one who cared for him.

George realizes he’s been quiet for far too long and lets out a choked laugh- which was arguably worse than just staying silent- and went back to chewing his bottom lip. He heard the notification sound in his headset before he saw the words.

Dream  
 _You look like you’re not having the best time. I can show you how to play the VR edition for real if you want?_

George looked over onto his left monitor and saw, for the first time, how flushed his cheeks were and how his bottom lip was red and raw from all the biting. He closed his eyes for a moment and willed his face to go back to its original smooth paleness. He then stared at the message, debating back and forth a few times whether it was really that bad of an idea to head back to their little beach house tonight. He looked at the message, then back to the monitor displaying his webcam footage; it was either continue being awkward and not speaking here or hanging out with Dream where they could totally just keep things friendly and not make anything weird at all…

 _Yeah, sure_. He sent back.

“Hey guys,” he began to the group, “I’m going to end stream now. Are you still streaming after, Karl?”

“I surely am” replied Karl.

“Okay, bye guys.”

“Bye George” Dream sang, and George could hear the smile in his voice.

He left the group and said his goodbyes to the viewers before sending a raid to Karl. He sat back in his chair and blew out a deep breath. If he just kept a little distance between them, he would be fine. There was just something about Dream’s gentle touches- they were electrifying, and it drove George crazy. If he just didn’t touch him, he would be fine, and he was sure that would be easy because why would they have any reason to be _touching_ while playing Minecraft?

He made a mental promise to try and do everything to not get any awkward boners this time before removing the VR device from its black box and fidgeting with it in his fingers as he booted up Minecraft. _Please attach your VR device before continuing_. He got comfortable in his chair and slowly pressed the device to his right temple. He felt his body go slack and when he opened his eyes, he was lying in his bed against the wooden wall.

He looked to his right and found Dreams’ bed neatly made but empty; he must not have entered yet. He sat up and stretched. He could see darkness out of the square panels in the front door and he walked across the sandy floor to peer outside. He couldn’t see or hear any mobs nearby- and they were only playing on easy- so he decided to risk stepping outside to see how beautiful the moon looked.

He could see it peeking over the dark oak forest, casting a bright light over the treetops and making shadows of swaying leaves litter the beach. He looked down at the sand and could see their leftover footprints lead a trail into the ocean. He stood in the spot that Dream had stood and stripped in front of him. He felt a shiver of cool breeze run across the back of his neck and he instinctively pulled the sleeves of his hoodie over his hands. He closed his eyes and against his best wishes, thought about Dream. About his smile and his freckles and his laugh. He remembered his dream from last night and how comfortable he felt in Dreams’ arms.

“There you are!” Dream called out and George turned to see him approaching from the house, “I was just saying bye to Sapnap, sorry, hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

George didn’t answer, he was too busy admiring how good Dream looked, illuminated against the moonlight. When Dream reached him, George almost stopped breathing; he had put his hand on George’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Come on, we should sleep before I teach you anything.”

George just nodded dumbly and quickly pulled himself from Dreams’ hold, leading the way back to the beach cabin. He could hear the distant sounds of zombies as he opened the door and sat on his bed. He lay down on his back and waited for Dream to do the same. He tilted his head to look over at the other and saw that he was shifting to lay on his side to face George.

Dream gave George a friendly smile and murmured, “Night, George.”

George returned a timid smile and turned away to stare at the roof before closing his eyes and waiting for Dream to do the same. Moments later he felt his eyes shoot open and he could already see the sun rays lighting up the dull brown walls. He sat up and stretched once again; Dream was already doing the same.

“Alright,” Dream yawned, “I was thinking we start with chopping down trees.” He got up from the bed and opened the large chest, he took out an axe with a long black handle and a stone head. He walked over to where George was still sitting on the bed and held out the axe. As George gripped the handle, he noticed how light it felt, as if it were made from Styrofoam. “So,” Dream explained, “to put things into your inventory all you have to do is reach behind your back” he motioned reaching over his shoulder as if to scratch his neck, “Then to grab it back out you just think about what you need and it’ll appear in your hand” as his hand reappeared from behind his back, so did a shiny red apple. “Then,” he continued, tossing the apple around in his right hand and reaching into his pocket for his small tablet that controlled the game, “to check what’s in your inventory, you just look at the second tab on your screen.”

George knew he didn’t have anything in his inventory, so he didn’t bother checking. He stood finally. Dream was once again towering over him, smiling and still throwing around the apple, this time tossing it between both hands as if it were a small handball. “Okay, seems simple,” he said, walking around Dream to the doorway.

Dream put the apple back into his inventory and approached the door as well. He reached across George to turn the knob, smiling charmingly down at him as he did so. George avoided eye contact as he quickly stepped outside into the breezy morning air.

“All the mechanics of the game are actually super simple- almost more simple than vanilla Minecraft.” Dream began as he approached the nearest tree, “Everything that you can touch or kill or whatever, has a button on the right of it” he reached out and pressed his fingers to some invisible button on the tree that George couldn’t see. “The worse your tools are, the more times you have to press it. Come here and get a feel for it, it’s a little hard to see sometimes.”

George leaned his axe against the wood and searched the right-hand side of the tree but even though he could have sworn he was looking in the exact place Dreams’ hand just was, he couldn’t see a thing- just like the first day he had spawned in. “What am I even looking for?” George questioned.

George’s breath caught in his throat as Dream reached for his left hand and gently pressed it into a small bump in the tree. George shyly flicked his eyes over Dream’s face and then quickly back to where the other man’s hand lay on top of his. He suddenly felt too hot in the jumper he was wearing, and he pulled his hand away to roll up his sleeves.

“Do you see it now?” asked Dream.

George looked back at the spot his hand just was and could now make out a spot in the tree that, despite the shade from the treetops, was glistening. He touched it again and pressed inwards; he could feel something like a button being pushed so he pressed it a few more times. Eventually, after ten total presses, the wood seemingly popped out of existence and instead turned into a miniature replication, floating on top of another dark oak block below it. He picked it up and examined it for a bit before reaching behind him and putting it in his inventory.

Dream continued his walkthrough, “It’s basically the same with using tools except the game mechanics are a bit more fidgety; I’m sure they’ll patch it soon though.” George held the axe in his left hand, trying to figure out the most efficient way to press the button considering it wasn’t on his dominant hand's side. Dream noticed his thinking and added, “And I’m sure they’ll add a setting for left-handed people.”

George scoffed, “It’s fine honestly, they can correct for colour blindness but not left-handedness?” he laughed and so did Dream. He attempted to just hit the spot awkwardly with the axe, but Dream grabbed the axe.

He took the axe off George and moved him to the side as he took his place in front of the tree, “It does say in the tutorial,” he shot George an amused look and George rolled his eyes, “but you have to hold the weapons with two hands if you’re trying to hit a button” he gripped the axe with two hands and lodged the head into the button of the upper block. He then handed the axe back to George and stepped back.

George took the same position as Dream had and held the axe up. Him being a few feet shorter than Dream, he had to awkwardly reach above his head in order to reach the button. He’d thought he hit it but when Dream chuckled and approached him again, he blushed, “This is so offensive,” he laughed embarrassedly, “you look so natural doing this and I look like a little child playing with a toy.”

Dream laughed loudly and George took a mental screenshot of how his Adams Apple bobbed with every chord. Then, Dream was directly to George’s right, “You just need a better stance. Reach up again.” George did, holding the axe up with straight arms. Dream gently touched George’s elbow, adjusting it so it bent a little.

George could feel his heart beating fast and hard and he was scared Dream would be able to feel it through the veins he was softly holding his fingers over.

“It’s easier if you come at it from an angle,” said Dream, “give it a go now” he moved just behind George but was still close enough that his breath on George’s ear sent tingles down his spine.

George swallowed and with now very sweaty hands, he hit the button a few more times before the miniature version floated down onto the bottom block. He smiled gleefully and turned his head towards Dream only to find his face mere centimeters away, due to their height difference, his chest bumping George’s shoulder. Georges smile faded and he blinked up at Dream, his lips parting as his mouth went dry. George could feel his whole body shudder with want to connect their lips and wrap his arms around Dream’s shoulders. His eyes darted from Dreams’ own shining green irises to his pale peachy lips and then over his freckled cheeks. 

He could feel heat pooling in the pit of his stomach and he quickly stepped away, “I-I’m just going to gather some wood then,” he mumbled as he proceeded towards a tree a few feet away from Dream, “get some practice with the axe…”

Dream smiled playfully as he watched George touch his face to check how heated his cheeks had become. That was enough for him to know it wasn’t just _him_ that was feeling this way about the other.


	4. The Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream pushes the boundaries of personal space with George and questions whether the feelings are mutual as he continues to teach him the main game mechanics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I have never been able to write fast lmao. I'm such a procrastinator so I'm really sorry it's been over a month and the chapter isn't even that good/long :( Also I changed the name of it, this work used to be called Me & You Together :).
> 
> Remember: This is a work of fiction! Please don't harass creators about shipping <3

Dream had laid awake for hours last night thinking about George. No matter how many times he shifted his legs under his comforter, or how many times he shifted from laying on his stomach to his back, he just couldn’t get his mind to stop racing about the way George had looked at him. Just before he logged out, George had definitely been checking him out. Right? He had definitely looked down and seen George’s eyes raking upwards from where his knees were still covered by the waves. He saw the way his pupils widened and how his cheeks had become a soft pink as he admired the built shape of Dream’s body.

He had gotten a little bit worried when George had stopped replying to him for most of the next day as well. But then he really thought about it and the only reasons that would make George just stop talking to him after their beach day, was if he was pissed off at Dream- although he really couldn’t think of a reason why he would be- or if he was _embarrassed_ by something. Dream could recall the time George had told him how he had a bad habit of just never speaking to someone again after he had embarrassed himself in front of them. But what would George have to be embarrassed about? He wanted to call him and talk to him about it or something. George could never be embarrassing in Dreams’ eyes- a little cringy sometimes, sure- but never embarrassing. Dream thought anything George did was adorable.

George’s tweet notification had popped up on his phone as he pulled into his driveway from having breakfast at his family’s house. So, he was awake and streaming, but clearly ignoring Dream. Now he _really_ had to know what it was he had done that made him so ashamed he felt he couldn’t talk to his best friend. He pestered him a few more times during the stream about joining but after watching him spare quick glances towards the notifications and swallowing hard every time but nevertheless ignoring them, he decided to message Sapnap.

Sapnap of course told him he was being dramatic. Dream told him to ask George if he would join them all on the smp and to tell him what he says. Sapnap-unknowingly to Dream-had left out that he would also be joining them. He was almost hurt when George joined their game within minutes, but it was fine now, there was no way George could avoid him in a voice chat.

Then he noticed something. He watched George’s stream on his second monitor as he spoke about his sudden death in the nether and he swore he could see a pale pink crawl over his nose and cheeks. He squinted his eyes and smirked slightly, admiring the way George’s eyes widened for a second and the way his tongue poked out to coat his lips.

Then he started talking about their beach day- and George became such a sight for sore eyes that he found himself flushed and sweaty on the other end of the call. Did he even know what he looked like right then? His eyes were half-lidded, and he was biting his bottom lip, leaving spit trails every time he let it go from under his teeth. He could see George's shallow breathes rising in his chest a little quicker and he decided to take mercy on him. He sent him the text about playing together and relished in the way he could make George end his whole stream with a simple, seemingly innocent, invitation.

“See?” said Sapnap once George was out of the call, “I told you everything was fine.”

“Right, thanks guys.” Dream paused for a moment and then cleared his throat, “You didn’t think George was-off- at all?” he questioned.

“Maybe a little more quiet than usual?” Karl replied with suspicion in his voice, “Did you think he was off?”

Dream quickly reassured them, “No no, he was just quiet that was all.”

“You overthink everything about George, Dream” said Sapnap.

Dream furrowed his brow; did he really overthink when it came to George? Was George less complicated than he had thought? Dream would stay awake for hours some nights thinking about their conversations and the little flirty jokes George would make. He would spend countless sleepless nights evaluating them in his mind and trying to figure out if this was just George being George or if there were hidden meanings behind his syllables. Of course, before their first night on the beach, he just assumed he was thinking about it so much because it felt nice to be flirted with; but now he knew his feelings for George were hidden away safely underneath a thin sheet of ignorance. Dream had always thought of George as unachievable, as someone who would just simply _never_ fall for someone like himself. But maybe it was time he brought George off that pedestal.

“Yeah I guess,” he finally answered, “anyway, I gotta go as well. I’ll text you later. Have a fun stream Karl.” He listened to their goodbyes and left the TeamSpeak.

Once he logged onto their server, he noticed George wasn’t in their shack. He could see the warm shadows of the setting sun through the holes in the front door and a small tingle of worry made its way down his neck. He opened the door and looked into the trees a few meters away but saw no movement. Then he turned to his left and found George standing in the sand with his eyes closed, the soft wind rustling in his hair. Dream felt a longing to stand next to him, hand in hand, and watch the sunset together; but not just yet, he needed to confirm or disprove a few nagging questions about George’s own feelings first.

After they slept, Dream took the opportunity of teaching George how to chop down trees to get up close into the smaller man’s personal space. He could see George side-eyeing him as he adjusted his arms to hit the tree in the right spot. He made sure to stay right by his side as he successfully hit the tree enough times to produce a piece of dark oak wood. Then George turned to smile at him and Dream could see his pupils dilate and his mouth go slightly slack. His cheeks were a lush shade of pink and Dream could see him looking from his eyes to his mouth. A rush of excitement and fear surged through Dream. He could see George wanted to kiss him, his body language was practically screaming it, but was he just supposed to do it? Right now? It would be so out of nowhere that he thought neither of them would even know how to respond afterward. No, now was not the time-and George seemed to think so too as he moved away and mumbled about practicing with the axe.

Dream needed George to initiate anything that was going to happen; George was always so unpredictable and Dream worried that he was reading the signs wrong. He moved over to lean on a tree where he could watch George. After a few minutes of watching George cut down trees whilst determinedly averting his gaze from where Dream stood leaning against a tree, smiling at him, Dream spotted an apple fall from in between the falling leaf branches. Dream moved forward and crouched down in front of George to pick it up. He looked up at George and held the apple out to him, “Hungry yet?” he questioned as George swallowed loudly.

Georges’ words are shaky when he speaks, “Y-yeah, let’s um- let’s take a break and eat. I think I understand the mechanics now.”

Dream settled into a spot on the grass that just touched the beach's shore. George nestled cross-legged into a little dent in the grass next to him and began eating the apple Dream handed to him. Dream reached behind him and pulled his own apple out of his inventory. He leaned back on his left arm as he spread out his long legs and began eating the apple. Somewhere in between spotting a dolphin in the ocean and the Sun slowly dipping below the horizon, Dream noticed George staring at him as he ate. Dream could feel a mix of juice from the apple and careless spit drip onto his chin and he self-consciously wiped it away before casting a small glance at George to check if he was watching. George had the half-eaten apple curled in his fist just inches away from his mouth as he stared at Dream’s mouth. He either couldn’t tell that Dream could see him staring or he just didn’t care as he didn’t avert his gaze.

Then George parted his lips and Dream felt the mix of excitement and fear bubble up from his heart. Was that a sign? Was George about to bridge the gap between them and finally kiss him? Or was it a subtle hint for Dream to take the lead and lean in? Or was he just overthinking it all once again? He weighed his options for a moment but ultimately let his anxieties about misreading the situation take over. He got to his feet and held his hand out to help George to his feet. “The days just aren’t long enough” he said as the world around him shifted to the dark tones he associated with the night.

George huffed in agreement. He looked up at Dream and seemed to lock eyes on a spot near the corner of his mouth. Without warning or time for Dream to prepare his heart, George reached up and laid a gentle hand across Dreams’ jaw. His thumb wiped something invisible from Dream’s face and Dream felt as if his legs were going to give out under him. His whole body was vibrating with anticipation and panic and he knew George would be able to feel the heat pooling underneath his hand.

Then Dream felt a sharp pain hit his left shoulder and he turned his head to see a small arrow poking out of his shoulder, “ow” he exclaimed automatically, silently cursing the rude skeleton for interrupting their moment; he turned back to George, “Do you want to get it? You can get some practice with killing moving mobs.” He reached behind him and pulled a stone sword from his inventory before handing it to George. George easily killed the skeleton, having already defeated a mob once on the first night. “Good job,” he smiled at George as he walked back over to Dream’s side, “If you hold the sword like this,” he gently nudged George’s left hand further up the swords handle and relished in the wave of goosebumps he saw make their way up to George’s forearm, “it makes it a bit easier to control where it hits.” George nodded. “C’mon,” said Dream, putting a hand on George’s shoulder and leading him back to the beach shack, “let’s get you your own sword and I’ll show you how to craft.”

Dream ruffled through the item menu in the chest and pulled out some sticks and 2 iron ingots. “Alright,” he spoke, turning around to the crafting table that sat near the door. On top of the table were 9 squares, “The crafting works the same as it does in java edition, just place these,” he handed George the items, “in the way you would normally to make a sword.” Dream stood right behind George, the breath from his nose reaching the top of the shorter man's head. George placed the items in the middle row of squares on top of each other and automatically a sword appeared along with the leftover sticks. Then George looks up at Dream and can feel his throat constrict as he is met with deep rich brown eyes.

“What if I make the wrong thing? Does it just do it automatically, or can I get the ingots back?” George asks but Dream almost doesn’t hear him over the sound of his thunderous heart.

“Wh-what?” he stumbles before blinking and processing what he’d just said, “Oh um-yeah just walk away from the crafting table and they’ll appear in your inventory.” Dream took the sword and placed it into George’s hand. “Did you want to go kill some more mobs or would you like to sleep for the night, and we can work on this little homestead tomorrow?”

George pushed past Dream to the door and peered through the gaps, “There doesn’t look like there’s that many yet. I’d like to practice killing a creeper or something.” He carefully opened the door and Dream stuck close to his side as they made their way outside.

George successfully kills two creepers, a skeleton, and a drowned zombie whilst Dream pulls out his own sword and helps when he can see George is beginning to lose a battle. As Dream finished punting a creeper away from their house, he turned back around to see George being attacked by two spiders and a skeleton at the same time. He rushed over to help. He could see the familiar signs of fatigue that had plagues Dream that first night and he made a quick job of killing the surrounding mobs before allowing George to lean on him as they returned to their shelter.

As George slumped onto his bed and leaned his head against the wall, Dream noticed an arrow poking out of his left forearm. He sat gently by his side and pulled his arm towards him. George opened his eyes and looked down, “What the hell? I didn’t even notice it?” he exclaimed.

“Yeah, there’s no blood in the game and no pain receptors, so it just sort of-“ he gently grasped the arrow and pulled, “glitches into your body.” George flinched on instinct and Dream gently rubbed the spot where the arrow had been with his thumb.

“Thank you, Dream” said George tenderly. Dream looked up. George was staring at him with vibrant, puppy-like eyes and his face was still flush with tiredness. There was silence and Dream could hear his brain sprinting to catch up with his heart. Should I kiss him now? Is he going to kiss me? Should I say something right now? No, leave it Dream. George interrupted, “Your eyes are really beautiful, you know?”

Dream gave a nervous laugh; a powerful heat had started creeping its way from the back of his neck over his face. It wasn’t a usual thing for them both to complement the other on the account of George never truly knowing what Dream looked like. He didn’t really know how to respond.

George’s eyes dropped and he looked sad, “Do you really look like this?” he asked, avoiding Dream’s eyes.

Dream let go of George’s arm finally and frowned, “Would it matter if I did or didn’t?”

George brought his knees up to his chest and hugged his legs, “I guess not. I just really want to meet you” he brought his chin to his knees and looked up at Dream.

Dream shuffled his legs so his knee was bent on the bed in order to face George better, “You are meeting me” he smiled gently.

“No I mean,” George said frustratedly, he unwrapped his hands and instead fidgeted with his feet, averting his gaze from Dreams’, “I want to be able to _feel_ you.”

Despite Dream’s throat tightening and becoming rapidly dry, he let out a chuckle, “You want to _feel me_ , George?” he questioned, an eyebrow raised.

George rolled his eyes, “Not like that. I want to feel everything about you, not just you physically. I want to feel your energy and your emotions-like the person you are.” He looked back at Dream, his cheeks pink with embarrassment, “Does that make sense?”

Dream placed a hand on top of George’s knee and squeezed gently, “I think so. We’ll get there eventually, okay?”

George let his legs sink back down and he pat the spot next to him for Dream to join him. He looked dejected as Dream stood and moved over to rifle through the chest instead. Dream found a few glass panes. He knocked out a few blocks on the wall behind their bed heads and placed the panes in replacement. He could see the moon beginning to drift below the horizon as the vivid orange colors began to take over the blues. He shuffled into place next to George as they angled their bodies to the right to watch the sunrise. Dream’s breath hitches as George leans back to lay his head against his shoulder. He hovered his hand over the top of his head for a moment, debating if this was a little too intimate or not, before gently running his fingers through the brunette’s soft hair. From his angle, he can see George flutter his eyes closed. They sit in comfortable silence as they observe the waves come rolling in with the new morning.

“Hey Dream,” George finally speaks, “I should really take care of myself.”

Dream frowns and George looks up at him, “What?”

“Like real-life me.”

“Oh,” Dream feels a little disappointed, but he knows he’s right, his real stomach is probably crying out for dinner by now, “of course.”

George shoots Dream a genuine smile, “This was really nice though. I’ll talk to you later.” Dream nods.

After saying “End Game” George finds himself sitting in the same position in his office chair, although his whole body felt on fire and his hands were sweaty.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you guys liked it or not! The feedback is very much appreciated :)


End file.
